Re: double helix (and Vortex Streamers...)

["Bert Hickman" <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "tension" <tension-at-ntlworld-dot-com>
> 
> Greetings,
>                Does anyone have any info on a picture that was on the
keelynet
> that showed a double helix discharge from a pyramid form (as the topload, and
> also enclosing the coil). Is this a hoax picture ?
>                         All the best---- Russell hicks

Russell,

This picture is most likely a hoax. For those who haven't seen it, the
photo and its history can be found at:
http://216.60.190.54/unclass/hardy1.htm

For a WHOLE host of reasons, I don't buy the photo... and I certainly
don't buy any of the text that accompanies it, especially since the
owners have an agenda and something to "sell".  This photo supposedly
was the result of a 1-3 minute time exposure. Supposedly, the discharges
were not actually visible, but only showed up afterwards in the photo. 

Now, long, non-branching streamers MIGHT be observed if the top terminal
were a larger diameter sphere in perfectly still air. A spherical
topload sometimes results in multiple vertically-rising streamers that
subsequently coalesce into a single rotating vortex that looks sort of
like an upside-down tornado. 

A coiler in Durango, Colorado (who's unfortunately not on this List, and
who does not have email) recently showed a group of us a videotape of
this phenomenon occuring on his high breakrate DC system. Multiple
streamers would begin to "share" the rising heat, until they converged
into a single streamer. The rising hot air would then seem to rotate at
high velocity with the arc channel centered inside! It was speculated
that this was due in part to operation at high altitude, but similar
behavior has also been duplicated at sea level. 

Once formed, the vortex discharge would be fairly broad at the base,
would gradually taper to a very sharp point-like discharge at the end,
and would often persist for up to minutes at a time. The slightest
breeze would disrupt it, and normal appearing streamers would then
resume, starting the cycle anew. Interestingly, the length of a
fully-formed vortex was often half again as long as typical streamers
from the system - suggesting a thermally-assisted discharge. A stable
vortex looked like a miniature blue-white rotating "fire storm"! I would
expect that, if this was the phenomenon being photographed, the
streamers should be very bright in the photo, particularly for long
exposure times. In the KeelyNet photo, the very small top terminal
almost screams out for multiple streamers. 

The bottom line: this picture simply doesn't look like a "real" photo.
The streamers above the pyramid do not resemble corona, spark, or
streamer discharges I've ever seen on any Tesla Coil (small, medium OR
large...), including vortex streamers. I strongly suspect it is a
doctored image, particularly since the owners are using it to help sell
their Pyramid Energy hocum.

-- Bert --  
-- 
Bert Hickman
Stoneridge Engineering
Email:    bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com
Web Site: http://www.teslamania-dot-com